Rumor: Ridge at the top of McCain’s VP shortlist?

posted at 1:49 pm on February 26, 2008 by Allahpundit

So says Goldfarb. Picking up Pennsylvania in the general is huge enough to make this a no-brainer, but read Stephen Hayes. Besides his home state, what does Ridge bring to the ticket? (Or is that enough?) He’s got the same strong points Maverick has, right down to his veteran status, and a major weakness for the social cons McCain needs to attract. And a point Hayes doesn’t make: Does McCain want to load himself up with any more Bush connections than is absolutely necessary? The Democrats are already framing his victory as a de facto third Bush term; running with a former cabinet member — who headed DHS, no less — makes it that much easier.

While I love her the problem is that her Father was an ex governor of WV and convicted of fraud. That would be used against her. (and was in her race in WV)

William Amos on February 26, 2008 at 3:08 PM

I don’t know enough about Capito to disagree with you, but part of me wonders if that kind of attack might almost be a good thing. It would be obviously unfair, and would only affect the bottom of the ticket, but would give the Rs an excuse to escalate attacks on the D top of the ticket. If a female VP candidate was being attacked unfairly, it might help McCain make inroads with women voters still smarting from a Hillary drubbing.

Likewise, though McCain has given every indication that credibility as CinC is his prime consideration, it will be very difficult for the Ds to make much of it if he gives himself some room, and picks someone in need of seasoning. Who is going to complain about inexperience at the bottom of the ticket when the Ds are running a total lightweight at the top?

All the same, I still think McCain’s more likely to make a conservative pick that underlines the seriousness of the choice. He’ll want to look more careful, thoughtful, and responsibile in his VP pick than the Democrats as a whole have been with their nomination.

There isn’t a living soul who can deliver Pennsylvania for McCain any better than McCain himself. The state party is in shambles, having never recovered from the Specter/Toomey split. There isn’t any Republican of any standing in the state who has the respect of the majority of the party. Ridge is a definite non-starter.

I’m OK with Pawlenty or Sanford, though Palin has caught my attention, and Michael Steele could out-debate any veep candidate the Dems put up.

If there is any truth to this rumor it is clear that McCain still doesn’t get it. He is on the outs with a large chunk of his base. While he may get some of their votes in the general election under the cry to rally round the stegasaurus if you don’t want Obama elected….. McCain needs somebody that is youthful, a DC outsider, socially conservative, and able to get votes and mend fences. Tom Ridge isn’t any of those things. Why doesn’t he just choose Jack Kemp, John Danforth, or maybe checking to see if Bob Dole is available!

Discussing McCain’s or anyone else’s VP shortlist is premature until they clinch their party’s nomination.

That said, Huckabee will prevent McCain from clinching before the convention. Coming out of the convention, Huckabee will be the Republican nominee.

I used to favor Fred Thompson as Huck’s VP (thinking that Huck would need Fred on the ticket as proof that he was serious about ensuring the border fence construction is completed by July 1, 2010). However, Huck won’t need Fred after Huck wins Texas. In addition, Fred’s stand on the Human Life Amendment is wrong. Fred has taken a “Federalist” approach and thinks it should be left up to the states. That approach fails to realize that our Founders believed that it was a clearly obvious (self-evident) truth that life itself was a God-given (Creator-endowed) fundamental right belonging to people, which cannot be taken away (unalienable Right):

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

What is morally wrong is morally wrong everywhere. It cannot be left up to the states to decide. The Human Life Amendment is necessary to put in writing in the Constitution the very same self-evident truths that our Founders put in writing in the Declaration of Independence.

“Can this ticket get any more boring and inside-baseball? Good grief.”

No, it can’t. Guys, as unfortunate as it is, we live in a media age and charisma DOES matter, especially if the other side has lots of it. To put up two boring, dull, un-telegentic old men isn’t going to cut it this year. McCain may get away with it, but his number 2 has to be someone exciting and youngish.

No to Ridge. Yes to Palin, but only in theory. I love her to pieces — the more I read about her the more I like her — but I fear she lacks the experience necessary to meet the main qualification for VP: to be qualified to be President.

Palin in 2012/2016. This year would be taking her out of the oven a little too early.

Ideally, John McCain’s veep would be someone who could take over on a days notice if necessary (given John’s age), and someone who would do the following:

1. Galvanize the conservative base
2. Help McCain raise money
3. Have a firm understanding of economics (by McCain’s own admission).
4. Help McCain with values voters
5. Help McCain in the South
6. Get the Democrats to spend money in places they otherwise wouldn’t

It’s sad that the list is so long, it make me wonder how in the hell he get the nomination in the first place. At any rate here is my list of potential VP’s.

1. Mitt Romney, he helps McCain with numbers 1-4 and possibly 6 by putting Massachusetts in play. Romney brings fundraising prowess, solid economics, all of the Romney voters, and he could pull the Rush, Sean, Laura, Coulter, people into the McCain camp – which are essential to any Republican victory.

2. JC Watts – He helps McCain on 1-6. Watts is a bonafide conservative, former baptist preacher from Oklahoma. He also takes race out of the equation – so that those who normally don’t vote but might vote for Barrack just to say that they voted for the first black president would actually have a tougher choice to make. It would force the voters to look at the issues and watch the debates instead of just voting for the minority ticket because it feels good. Watts helps McCain across the board and would likely take away a good percentage of the black vote from Obama – especially in the south.

3. Gov. Rick Perry (TX) – Gov. Mark Sanford (SC) – These two are pretty much interchangeable and accomplish the same goals. The both speak with a southern accent and bring the same things. They are both pretty solid VP picks, but don’t have the national name recognition of a Romney or Watts.

My first post! It’s an honor to be here.
I think since McCain seems incapable of emoting passionately we are gonna need a red meat kinda guy.
Remember Cheney at the 2000 convention- brought the house down with awesome rhetoric full of passion.
Ridge couldn’t give that speech to save his life.
Romney, as demonstrated at CPAC, can.
McCain is a flatliner- he has to go exciting or we have no momentum coming out of the convention.